


Something Out of a Comic Book

by IsaacLahMe



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Smut, just all around cute shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-15
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 11:12:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1004747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsaacLahMe/pseuds/IsaacLahMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam Payne has always been an odd kid, but unlike most odd kids his age he could do something extraordinary, he could read minds and his mother insists on sending him to Cowell's School for the Gifted in the hopes he will learn how to control his ability, but the mysterious raven haired boy who he can't read the mind off may have caught his attention first</p><p>(or the one where Liam can't control his abilities, Zayn just wants to help, Louis has a knack for pranking people, Harry is unstable and Niall seems to be the only straight one in the bunch)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so this is a new story i'm working on and i will try to have a new chapter uploaded every week, unless i get super into it and knock it all out in a few days which is a possibility.
> 
> i got this idea after watch the X-Men movies again and i just sorta went 'fuck it' and that's where this came from haha

he was always a bit off, but not just in the normal 'awkward-kid-being-bullied' kind of off, Liam Payne was very off.

From a very young age Liam has had the ability of hyper listening, or in other words, he could read minds. He has been able to do it every since he can remember, always hearing a mumbled voice that connected to a person but he knows they hadn't said it. Liam was obviously confused by this and he knew that not everyone could hear what he could making him avoid people more than he already did, which was a lot considering how damn awkward he was in his pre-teen years, but he knew he wasn't alone, his mother had the same “ability” he did, he preferred the term superpower but his mother found that silly, his mother had apparently been able to hear others thoughts since she was around the age of 11

“I just woke up one day and I hear your grandfather saying things I knew he would never say out loud” is exactly what his mother tells him every time he asks and he never presses the matter because she seems to know about as much as their shared ability as he does.

“Li darling are you almost done up there your dinner is getting cold” his mother called up from downstairs

“i'll be down in a second mum just putting the last of my clothes away” Liam says as he finishes folding the last of his shirts away into the large suitcase settled on his floor.

He looked around his now empty room, excluding his bed and dressers, the closets were empty, the posters off the wall, the comics hidden away in his suitcase and it just felt odd. This wasn't his room anymore.

Starting tomorrow Liam was going to be enrolled into a school for other “gifted” students similar to himself where he could learn to use control his ability and he was nervous but happy at the same time his happiness spurred from the fact that he would finally meet people is age who were going through what he was, hell being 17 years old was already stressful so throwing in “powers” didn't make Liam's life any easier and maybe he would be able to make friends, a foreign concept to Liam, but he was also incredibly nervous because to say Liam was awkward was a huge understatement, he never had a friend that he could trust with everything, mainly because he learned everything the person didn't want to say about him making Liam just all around avoid people just to make it easier on himself.

Liam was pulled out of his thoughts by the second, much more stern, call from his mother

“Liam James Payne downstairs now”

“coming”

Liam jumped from his bed and scurried downstairs.

-X-

Liam was a happy person, he loved being around people, loved life most of the time, but at 5:00 am he was not a fan of anything that was in his peripheral vision 

“Li come on you need to get up we have quite a drive a head of us” his mother spoke in a not-so-early tone

“'m tired mum, gimme a second” Liam slurred as he wiped away the streak of droll that had made it's way down past his chin

“can't do that love” his mother states opening the large baby blue curtains that shielded the last bit of darkness over the room “breakfast is downstairs, if you want to go grab that I can make your bed, but you also need a shower and please hun brush your teeth you and your father-”

Liam cuts his mother off with a kiss to the check “'m gonna go shower than i'll be down to eat”

“alright darling now go i'll clean up your mess” this mother says while flicking her wrist

the one thing he loved about his mother is that he could have a normal conversation with her because he couldn't hear what she was thinking because she learned to not only be able to control the ability to read peoples minds but ass the ability to have her mind read “its easy all you do it think real hard”

and this could be very true but the last time Liam thought really hard and tried to block out everyone else's thoughts it resulted in him in the hospital and his mother telling him that he was going to a different school, to which he was confused obviously because he only passed out and does that really sanction a whole new school, but he knew not to fight with his mother and once he learned about the school and how he would learn to control his “ability”, still needs a new word for that, he was a bit at ease.

After nearly falling asleep in the shower twice Liam pries himself out, dries himself off and throws on a pair of gray sweatpants that hang loosely on his hips and a red shirt that has a single thick black strip spanning from shoulder to shoulder and he heads downstairs

breakfast, and most events with his family, and spent with a lot of talking, mainly for the sake of Liam because if its too quite Liam's mind begins to literally wander and he doesn't exactly care to hear about Ruths date with her new boyfriend or anything Nicki could remotely be thinking about, so his family talks, talks about anything, his mother goes off about how he will love the school

“i know first hand darling that you will love it because I myself graduated from there” his mother states as his father rolls his eyes and he thinks something that Liam must not have caught, and maybe he is glad he hadn't, because he gains a smack on the back of the head “not appropriate Geoffrey” making Liam chuckle

the rest of breakfast goes off without a hitch, his mother going on about the school and the head master “oh you'll love Mr.Cowell he is just too kind” his mother states as she cleans up the table.

Before he knows it he is giving Ruth and Nicki teary eyed hugs and a pat on the shoulder from his father, his mother said something about how only meta humans can enter the school for safety reasons and what not, and he heads to the car but first takes one last look at the house before getting into the passenger side of the car and heading off down the road and before he knows it his house becomign smaller with each passing minute but Liam is far to tired to be sad right now so he decides to take a quick kip.

Liam wakes up sometime later to his mother's humming and he sees that the sun is much higher in the sky now but Liam is still aggravated about being awake, he thinks that he doesn't actually hate mornings he actually just hates waking up, Liam partially thinks that is because when he is sleeping he doesn't have to worry about blocking out peoples thoughts and instead just gets to rest for hours at a time but when he wakes up he has to go back to the consistent hearing of everyone else's thoughts and that isn't always fun so yes he likes sleep.

“why hello sweetheart” his mother says in a calm tone without taking her eyes off of the road

“are we almost there” Liam asks through a yawn

“yes we are actually we should be there within the next ten minutes” his mother responds and he feels his stomach twist and hes unsure why, maybe its his anxiety or something else but all Liam wants to do is barrel roll out of the car and start running in the opposite direction of wherever they were heading but before he can even think about bracing himself for the impact of jumping out the car, gravel can't be that hard right?, they are pulling into a large gated school, Liam is pretty sure its a mansion but hes not going to question it because hes in awe.

The gates are large, possibly 20 feet up, and look like they are pure titanium with a large golden plaque that reads Simon Cowell's School for the Gifted and Liam scoffs because he hates the word “gifted” being gifted normally has the connotation that you can go above and beyond, which Liam can't he had average grades, no friends, only ever had one relationship and that went bad because you know he could read minds, so except for that fact Liam was all around normal, not “gifted” but he doesn't say anything as the gates open and his mother pulls through past the row of trees that lead up to the massive school that has a fricken fountain in front of it and huge decorated doors that he's guessing lead into an even more impressive inside.

His mother parks the car and turns to him before opening her door

“you're going to do fine Liam, you're a Payne and us Paynes know how to make the best out of situations” his mother says with a perched smile

“maybe you're right mom” Liam says before stepping out of the car and taking a look at the huge buliding in front of him

but maybe she was wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam Payne has always been an odd kid, but unlike most odd kids his age he could do something extraordinary, he could read minds and his mother insists on sending him to Cowell's School for the Gifted in the hopes he will learn how to control his ability, but the mysterious raven haired boy who he can't read the mind off may have caught his attention first
> 
> (or the one where Liam can't control his abilities, Zayn just wants to help, Louis has a knack for pranking people, Harry is unstable and Niall seems to be the only straight one in the bunch)
> 
> [follow me on tumblr at rye-achu :D]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i sorta banged this out just for fun and i'm already working on the third chapter [GOOOOOO MEEEEEEE] hope you enjoy
> 
> side note, there needs to be more Little Mix/One Direction crossovers cause i love me some Jade

The steps leading up to the huge wooden threshold that leads into, what he can only imagine is, the spectacular building in front of him.

Liam reaches the top of the stairs with his mother in tow and stops to gaze at how large the doors are but before he has a chance to even reach out and touch them they are swinging open making Liam jump back in surprise.

Two females enter from the building the female on the left is a thin, almost frail looking, woman with electric blue hair that is pushed up into a bun and she has a pair of thin wiry glasses on that have fallen to the bridge of her nose and she is holding a clip board in hands

the other female is a much more curvy woman, and is taller than the other female who has her dark brown hair stuck under a large beanie and is eying Liam with her hand on her hip.

“Mr Payne what a pleasure to meet you” the woman with the clip board says as she extends a hand for Liam to shake “I'm Miss Thirlwall and i'll be your guidance counselor over your course here at Cowell's school for the Gifted, and this lovely woman is Mrs Nelson” the woman says and she waves her hand in the direction of the other female, who still looks on the line of either really board or pissed off Liam can't really tell.

“Nice to meet ya Liam” Mrs Nelson exclaims extending her hand and Liam reaches to shake it before the other woman gasps

“Jesy no” and she slaps Mrs Nelson's hand with the clip board

“ow” Mrs Nelson hisses “i wasn't gonna hurt him just fuck with him”

“first thing Jessica no cursing in front of the students and secondly you don't get you use meta human abilities all whilly nilly” Miss Thirlwall states waving her hand around in an exaggerated manner “now you have the job of taking Mr Payne's belonging's to his room”

“you've got to be kidding me” Mrs Nelson pouts “i was joking” she says stomping her foot and Liam sees the area below her foot crack and crumble

“would you like me to inform Simon that you planned on 'pulling a joke' on a new student but trying to rip his hand off” Miss Thirlwall informs the now angered other female

Mrs Nelson slides by Liam and picks up his three suitcases with one hand and after seeing that, and the cracked tile below where she was standing, he is taking god that he didn't shake her hand and as she walks past him again she focuses on her to hear what she is saying

“ _stupid fucking Jade, she's lucky she's as cute as she fucking is because I swear to god i'd--”_

and at that point Liam decides to tune her out and listen to what Miss Thirlwall is actually saying

“now Mrs Nelson will be bringing your things to your dormitory, you've been assigned a roommate and due to the fact that you're a hyper extensive listener--”

“i'm a what?” Liam asks cutting of the woman

“oh yes you don't know what that is, well you see Mr Payne you have the ability to listen to other peoples thoughts we haven't had one of you since your mother, while on that note, hello Mrs.Payne” Miss Thirlwall says

“Hello Jade nice to see you again” Liam's mother states

“as with you” MissThirlwall says with a smile “but back to your question Liam you are a rarity and the extension of your power is endless and that's why you have been invited here to learn to not on control your power but open up the possibilities to what your powers could be” MissThirlwall explains

Liam looks six shades of confused but he nods in agreement

Miss Thirlwall turns and heads for the large set of doors “come, come Mr Payne no time for more dilly-dallying then has been done, Mrs. Payne would like to join” Miss Thirlwall asks over her shoulder

Liam's mother looks up “actually I have to make it back, but give Simon a big kiss for me yeah”

Liam looks shocked and confused and desperate for his mother to says she is kidding before he sees her eyes and understands and he begins to focus on his attention on hearing her

“ _you're going to do more than fine Liam, I know how kids your age are and them seeing not only the new kid but the new kid with his mother, they will chew you up darling you know I love you”_

his mother gives him a wide smile and he returns a weak one before being pulled into a tight hug “remember you're a Payne darling” his mother chokes out threw obvious tears “i love you”

“i love you too mum” Liam says tightening the hug like its the last time he will ever see his mother, and maybe it feels like that, and he doesn't want to let go

Liam's gaze turns back to where MissThirlwall is standing and she has a smile on her face but Liam can't help but really know how she feels so he closes his eyes and focuses on Miss Thirlwall's figure

“ _aww how cute, I really do love family and now that you've finished reading my thoughts Liam I should really show you around the school”_

his eyes fly open and he see MissThirlwall wink and he's wondering how she knew he was doing that but hell this day is just a whirlwind so what does he expect

“mum I have to go” Liam speaks through the vice like grip his mother has on him

“right, right you go and be good love and don't forget to shower and try to make some friends, maybe find a boy--”

“mum” Liam cuts him mother off with a large blush climbing his face, not that Liam hadn't realized that he swayed in the direction of boys a long time ago he just always found talking to him mother about boys a tad bit odd

“just teasing love, now stop making Jade wait and get in the dame building before I never let you go”

Liam turns and joins Miss Thirlwall at the top of the staircase and watches his mother trudge back to her car and slide in the drivers side a drive back down the gravel path that lead to the huge gates.

“don't worry Liam you'll be fine here” he hears from over his shoulder

he thinks he is going to be hearing that a lot over the next few months

 

-X-

The entrance to the school fails in comparison to the inside of the building. You first enter into a large foyer that has a large staircase with two sets of stairs that lead up to what looks like class rooms, to the right is a large hallway that seems to have painting of former students who have gone on to pursue great careers.

Miss Thirlwall begins to walk down the large hallway to the left “come now Mr Payne I must show you around the school quickly before your 8 a.m. meeting with Professor Cowell”

Liam follows in toe past students that seem to be bustling around talking, laughing, most see normal but he can make out a few students who seem to be different, such as a short green female with reptile like eyes and snake like skin of the male that has less of a peach hue and more a purple one with large perked up ears that go past the top of his hair.

Liam sees more and more students as Miss Thirlwall and himself make there way down to the hall to another large set of doors which are pushed open to reveal a large courtyard in the distance he can see a basketball court and further to the left he can see something like a jungle gym, how old are the kids here exactly, and spread all throughout the vast field he can see students and it makes him uneasy because his mother signed him up late for the school, the only real reason Liam even got in was because his mother was an alumni of the school and apparently Professor Cowell had a soft spot for her, so the cliques seem to already be bonded and once again Liam is on the outside looking in and it makes him feel odd.

“this way Mr Payne” Miss Thirlwall calls as she walks down the path directly next to the school that loops around the outside of the courtyard “As you can see this is where students can converse and let steam off, there is a tennis and basketball court further across the field and to the left of that there is a swim hall that is currently under renovation due to the mishap that happened last month involving a student who could duplicate, 12 firecrackers and a hand full of gun powder but I digress as we head up here we will past more classrooms, sadly your classes have been chosen for you based on what you finished during your second year of college due to the late enrollment, and at the end of the hallway is the cafeteria where i'll be taking you because you must be starving”

and it isn't until that point that Liam realizes that he is more than hungry and would probably eat a cow if he could find one, and if that was physically possible, so he closes the distance between Miss Thirlwall and himself.

“the right end of the hall is where the dormitories are located and you will be brought there after you eat and meet with Simon” Miss Thirlwall explains “now do you have any questions”

Liam's mind is formulating about 500 possible questions to ask her “i have three actually”

“shoot”

“okay” Liam starts “my first question would be does everyone here have an...an...i don't really--”

“ability” Miss Thirlwall asks with a raised eyebrow

“yes...that...them...” Liam huffs out “what i'm asking is do you have a power because the other woman--”

“Mrs Nelson” she states quickly

“yes...she obviously had one and I was just wondering if all the staff did”

Miss Thirlwall stops “i'll answer your first question with a question Mr Payne, if you worked at a school with gifted individuals who were unstable would you want to be in the crossfire with not ability of your own?”

“well I would hope i'd have one too”

“correct” she answers “and now for what my power is exactly--”

Miss Thirlwall stops and focuses on a pillar that is located right near a pagoda to the left and she raises her had, he eyes turn from a dark coffee brown to a white milky color and Liam feels the air become very tense all of a sudden and he looks at where her hand is point, at the pagoda, and sees that the air around it has become some what of a muskier color and she begins to close her hand making the musky color begin to close in on the pagoda trapping it and as she closes her hand more the pagoda begins to bend and distort and crack but before it collapses she reopens her hand and the air seems to fill the space in Liam's lungs again and her eyes turn back to the dark brown color they once were

“shit” is all Liam can muster

“language Mr Payne and before you begin to ask I have the ability to constrict objects meaning I can trap an object and hold it in place for as long as I want and as you saw I can distort the object until it breaks or until I begin to release my hand and then it will return to its normal state, it's very useful when attempting to break students apart or holding one in place” she says with a wink

“but the pagoda is fine and--”

“that's because i've been able to control my abilities and I can distort the inside of the pagoda to push it back out reconnecting the wood and nails and all that jazz” she sais as she waves her hand around “now I do believe you had two more questions Mr Payne but we must walk and talk for the one because we are falling behind schedule”

“oh right, um, my next question was, what was it, oh yeah did you graduate from here?” he asks

“yes I did actually a two years ago actually”

“two years ago?” Liam gapes “but that should only make you

“19” Miss Thirlwall states “yes Mr Payne i'm 19 and i've worked here since I graduated along side Mrs Nelson, Miss Pinnock and Ed, which don't fret your little head you will meet the ladder of the two at the class meeting on Monday, which is also when classes start”

maybe she is the mind reader because it seems like she answers everyone of Liam's questions before he has a proper chance to even ask it

“--personally I think Simon just keeps up around because he picks favorites and he isn't the best with goodbyes, but don't tell him I said that” Miss Thirlwall quips “now your final question Mr Payne”

“oh yeah, who exactly is Simon Cowell”

“don't worry about that you'll be meeting him...shit” she says looking at her watch

“language Miss Thirlwall” Liam jokes

“i won't tell on you if you don't tell on me”

“promise?”

“pinky, now we really must get you to Simon's office because your meeting might have started 6 minutes ago, don't worry i'll take the blame, now lets hurry” Miss Thirlwall says as she begins to jog forward, which Liam realizes that she has heels on and he will have to complement her on that later, and he starts to jog behind her

-X-

he doesn't know what he was expecting when he reached the third set of large doors today, maybe this Cowell guy has a kink or is over compensating for something, but a middle aged well dressed prim and proper man was the idea he thought he would get but instead he got a guy in his earlly thirties at most wearing a pair of blue denim jeans with a pair of black scuffed converse, which he knows cause the man hand his legs on top of his desk, while playing a game on his phone with his tongue sticking out

“ah Miss Thirlwall late as her usual” the man quips from behind the glare of his phone

“sorry about that Simon but I have Mr Payne with me and I know you said that you wanted to talk to him”

“very well let me just try and beat..dammit lost again” the man says as she swings his legs of the desk and places him phone down so he can look at Liam “you do have the face of a Payne my dear boy”

“thanks?” Liam responds

“oh that was very much a complement and i'm teasing now but don't worry, Miss Thirlwall can you give us a minute”

“sure think boss, but I actually have to head over to the lecture hall to chat with Leigh-Anne so i'm going to send Ed up to escort him to his room”

“very well” Simon responds and then his gaze is back on Liam “how are you today Liam”

“i'm feeling okay, just a bit overwhelmed because of the new setting and things like that, i'm not really used to change” Liam says rubbing the back of his neck

“change is good though my fine young scholar, you see as gifted individuals change is what makes us who we are and helps our abilities grow even more than they already have giving us access to our self as we learn more and more, change actually isn't so bad is you look at the brighter side of it” Simon says standing up and moving to the front of his desk sitting on the edge of it and positioning himself so he's less that a foot away from Liam

“read my mind” he says

“what?” Liam asked shocked, more so probably that no one has directly told him or even said that he could read minds out loud because in his house hold it was just a spoken truth that everyone danced around so hearing from someone to do it is a little weird”

“you heard me Liam read my mind”

so Liam does as hes told and focuses on Simon's temple and the rest of the world seems to go silent as he attempts to listen to Simon's thoughts, but he can't all he hears is a faint humming and he's more that confused until Simon speaks

“i'm an extreme telepath like you Liam and with the right training you can make is so not can you hide your ability but you may even be able to do something like levitation or telekinesis the possibilities are endless and that's why when your mother contacted me about your powers I knew I had to have you here” Simon exclaims “you're a gifted young man Liam and you're going to do great things”

“can you see the future too?” Liam asks dead pan causing Simon to start laughing

“no Liam I can't, i'm just a good judge of character” at this point a knock comes from outside and the door opens revealing a grinning red haired man with large cheeks and a smile to match

“Ed” Simon says with enthusiasm “this is Liam, Liam this is Ed our schools finest Mathematician”

“oh stop the praising Simon, i'm not that great”

“i beg to differ Ed but this is about Liam not yourself, could you see him to his room” Simon says passing the clipboard to Ed.

“sure thing Si...” Ed cuts himself short “he's in room 38...is that really a good idea--”

“yes it is do not attack my judgment Ed, now please escort Mr Payne to his dormitory”

“will do boss man, come on kid right his way” Ed says pointing over his shoulder and turning to leave the room and Liam follows in toe before catching Simon's eyes and wide smile and then suddenly he hears it

“ _good luck”_

Liam still needs to get used to that.

 

 

 


End file.
